Bradley Levinson, alumni, and Sonnie Moore

Student volunteers

Enjoying the party!

Book exploration
 

Dr. Patrick O’Meara's speech

I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE TO HONOR PROFESSOR MAGDALENA
HERDOIZA-ESTEVEZ AND CHANCELLOR SANDRA PATTERSON RANDLES, AND
YOUR CAMPUS ON THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ECUADOR PROGRAM.

THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE LOBBY BEFORE THIS PROGRAM WAS SO WARM AND WELCOMING BECAUSE OF THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC AND THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE VISITING GROUP FROM ECUADOR.

I RECENTLY REVIEWED THE STUDY ABROAD PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FOR IU SOUTH EAST.

IN AN EXCELLENT VIDEO PRESENTATION, STUDENTS SPOKE ABOUT THEIR OVERSEAS EXPERIENCES. I FOCUSED ON WHY THEY HAD CHOSEN TO STUDY IN SPAIN, CHINA, GHANA, ENGLAND AND OTHER PLACES.

WHY DID THEY GO ABROAD?

“To get a wider view of different countries, one which I would not experience here.”

“To experience what they experienced on a daily basis.”

“I hope to get a sense of where I came from.”

‘My history class would benefit from what I saw in China.”

TEN YEARS AGO MAGDELENA INCLUDED AN IMAGINATIVE NEW DIMENSION TO THESE OPPORTUNITIES WHEN SHE ESTABLISHED THIS SPECIAL
OPPORTUNITY FOR ECUADOR.

WHEN SHE FIRST CAME TO SEE ME ABOUT ESTABLISHING THIS PROGRAM, I THOUGHT: “THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, BUT WILL SHE BE ABLE TO DO IT?” WILL STUDENTS FROM IUS CHOSE TO GO TO
ECUADOR GIVEN THEIR MANY PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES?
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.

MAGDELENA IS NOT ONLY A VISIONARY, BUT AN ORGANIZED AND DETERMINED ADMINISTRATOR WITH GREAT
CONTACTS IN ECUADOR.

HER DREAM HAS BECOME AN OUTSTANDING REALITY.

FROM THE BEGINNING, THIS PROGRAM FOR GRADUATE AND UNDER-GRADUATE EDUCATION MAJORS WAS WELL DESIGNED. STUDENTS WOULD DO RELEVANT COURSE WORK ON THE SOUTH EAST CAMPUS BEFORE
LEAVING AND THEN SPEND SEVENTEEN DAYS IN ECUADOR. EVERY MOMENT IN ECUADOR WAS PLANNED – WITH SUBSTANTIAL ACADEMIC ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND IN OTHER EDUCATION SETTINGS.

IT INVOLVED HOST FAMILIES AND HOME STAYS. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS WAS NOT A SUPERFICIAL EXPERIENCE, BUT ONE IN WHICH THERE WOULD BE FULL-IMMERSION IN THE CULTURE AND IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

I LIKE THE IDEA THAT COMPLETE FLUENCY IN SPANISH WAS NOT REQUIRED – MAGDALENA KNEW THAT SOME STRUGGLE WITH LANGUAGE WAS PART OF
THE LEARNING PROCESS,

BECAUSE IT ENABLED STUDENTS TO MORE FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PREDICAMENT OF THE SPANISH SPEAKING STUDENT IN
THE AMERICAN CLASSROOM.
THIS OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE HAS BROADENED THE VISION OF SO MANY STUDENTS.

IT HAS EXPANDED THEIR INTERNATIONAL AND CULTURAL AWARENESS. THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE
EDUCATION SYSTEMS OF ECUADOR AND THE UNITED STATES AND TO LEARN
ABOUT THE PEOPLE, THE CULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN ECUADOR.

THOSE WHO TEACH IN SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED REALIZED THAT THE STUDENTS WOULD ABSORB A GREAT DEAL ABOUT HISPANIC CULTURE BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE ACTIVITIES AND INTER-PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT,
AND, AT THE SAME TIME, INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH.

WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THEIR CLASSROOMS IN THE US – MOST OF WHICH HAD STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS -- THEY WOULD BRING THEIR ECUADORIAN EXPERIENCES WITH THEM. THEY WOULD BE INSPIRED TO CREATIVELY INTEGRATE MULTIPLE CULTURES INTO THEIR TEACHING.

MAGDELENA HAS BEEN IN THE FORE-FRONT IN DEVELOPING A PROGRAM THAT COMBINES A STRONG ACADEMIC COMPONENT WITH ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL ACTION, AWARENESS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND SERVICE LEARNING.
THE AMERICAN STUDENTS HAVE BEEN BENEFICIARIES BUT THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN CONTRIBUTORS.

THEY HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON THE GROUND IN ECUADOR.
THIS IS A MODEL PROGRAM BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN BI LATERAL IN EVERY
SENSE.

IT HAS BEEN ONE IN WHICH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS HAVE
FLOURISHED AND FRIENDSHIPS HAVE BEEN SUSTAINED OVER THE YEARS THROUGH MUTUAL COLLABORATION.

THINK OF THE BOXES OF MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT THAT STUDENTS AND OTHERS HAVE BROUGHT WITH THEM TO ECUADOR INCLUDING COMPUTERS FOR THE COMMUNITIES EVERY YEAR.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN AND TEACHERS IN ECUADOR WHO ARE NOT SUBJECTS IN A TEXT BOOK BUT PERSONAL AND VIBRANT FRIENDS FOR THE IU
SOUTH EAST STUDENTS.

WHAT HAVE THE STUDENTS COMMENTED ON THEIR EXPERIENCES:
“THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUND LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF
MY LIFE.”

A QUOTATION FROM A 2005 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:

“WHEN GRAHAM LINCOLN, A SOPHMORE ENGLISH MAJOR, CAME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES AFTER THREE WEEKS OF LIVING AND TEACHING IN
ECUADOR THROUGH MAGDALENA HERDOIZA-ESTEVEZ’S EXPLORATION OF
DIVERSITY EDUCATION CLASS, HIS VIEWS ON LIFE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY.

‘MY JOURNEY IN ECUADOR WAS ENLIGHTENING, OPENING MY EYES TO ASPECTS OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY THAT I HAD NOT EXPECTED,’ HE SAID.

OUR TRAVELS IN ECUADOR INSPIRED ME TO CONSIDER BECOMING A TEACHER, AS I REALIZED THE INFLUENCE THAT ONE PERSON CAN HAVE IN A
CLASSROOM…”

IN THE 21ST CENTURY, STUDY ABROAD IS NOT A LUXURY.

IF OUR STUDENTS ARE TO OPERATE SUCCESSFULLY IN A GLOBAL WORLD THEY NEED FIRST HAND OVERSEAS EXPERIENCES. IN 2008-09, IUB RANKED HIGHLY AMONG U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES -- IT WAS EIGHTH OUT OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES.

AS I REFLECT ON THE ECUADOR PROGRAM, I ASK MYSELF: “IS THIS PROGRAM UNIQUE -- ONE THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY A GIFTED INDIVIDUAL WITH
CONNECTIONS AND INSIGHTS INTO A PARTICULAR CULTURE? CAN IT BE REPRODUCED?”

MY ANSWER IS YES – BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN DIFFERENT
CONTEXTS. THE ELEMENTS ARE THERE AND ARE OPEN TO INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION.

DOES THIS PROGRAM MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO ECUADOR WHERE THERE ARE ENORMOUS PROBLEMS OF POVERTY? I KNOW IT HAS AN EFFECT ON IUS
STUDENTS.
I SERVE ON THE BOARD OF A PRIVATE FOUNDATION WHICH EDUCATES SEVERAL THOUSAND STUDENTS IN INDIA, SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO,
INDIANAPOLIS AND VENEZUELA. I ASK MY SELF THE SAME QUESTION: “IS IT A DROP IN THE OCEAN?” THERE ARE SO MANY MILLIONS AND WE INFLUENCE SO FEW PEOPLE. BUT THEN I REALIZE THAT THIS IS NOT THE
RIGHT QUESTION. INCREMENTAL CHANGES ARE IMPORTANT. THEY CAN AND DO HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT – AND IN ECUADOR THE RIPPLE EFFECT IS
TANGIBLE.

MAGDALENA, THANK YOU FOR MAKING IU SUCH AN INTERNATIONAL
UNIVERSITY.

THANK YOU FOR CHANGING LIVES FOR THE BETTER IN INDIANA
AND IN ECUADOR.
MAY THE NEXT TEN YEARS BE EQUALLY CREATIVE. I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK ALL OF YOUR GENEROUS COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE COME HERE FROM
ECUADOR – THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS AND OUR TEACHERS.
 

PATRICK O’MEARA

Dr. Herdoíza's Acknowledgements

Good evening and thank you for joining this meaningful celebration, which opens the first ENL Conference at IU Southeast.

Allow me to recognize a major sponsor of our Conference: Mr. Danny Lopez, Executive Director of the Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.

Thank you Chancellor Patterson-Randles and Vice-Chancellors Atnip and Wavle for your support to this event.

Special thanks to Dr. Patrick O’Meara for the inspirational address and for
the generous words directed to me.

Your presence honors and encourages our endeavors in the field of international education. Dr. Kathy Sideli, we appreciate your on-going guidance and support to keep moving our program forward; every year, you have enthusiastically celebrated each step we have taken to consolidate it.

The celebration of our Explorations on Diversity study abroad program in Ecuador has been an opportunity for reflection. It is a celebration of a journey shared and shaped by so many across the Indiana/Ecuador borders. For ten years, we have worked together with the goal of opening new paths for students, educators, and communities toward global empathy and human
understanding.

Yes, this is a profoundly collective endeavor. From the colleagues in Indiana University who, by approving our “Explorations on Diversity Education” program in 2001, signaled their confidence in its potential, to the Ecuador partners who, throughout the years, have opened the doors for our students to experience cultural learning.

This process has involved hundreds of educators, students and community members in both countries.

In this context, I must first recognize our students. I salute the trust, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication to fully embracing their learning journeys. Their discoveries and reflections have been a source of inspiration, learning, meaning, and strength. I celebrate their transformative endeavors wherever life has taken them. Tonight, we are happy to have alumni from each of the ten years of our program, and candidates from what will be the 2012 “Summer in Ecuador.”

This is also a time to express our gratitude to the Ecuadorian partners, starting with the dozens of families who have welcomed our students into their homes and into their lives.

Our colleagues from Quitumbe, América Latina and Bicentenario schools in Quito have been central to our partnership and must also be recognized. Throughout the ten years of our program, they have taken the delicate and complex task of planning our visits to ensure successful learning and teaching for our students.

Our colleagues from UNESCO in Quito have been outstanding supporters of our most meaningful experiences in rural Ecuador.

To the entire community of Paquibug San Gerardo and the Bolívar Chiriboga School we owe the highest regard for providing profound lessons in service and global citizenship.

They have inspired deep transformations within each of our students. We have all learned from their stoic approach to life, their community values and their trust in education.

Tonight, we are deeply moved and honored by their presence in this meaningful event.

We also regret the last minute impediments to the presence of Dr. Lucrecia Cuichán (click for her in absentia speech), representing Quitumbe and Bicentennial municipal schools.

Our gratitude goes also to Raquel Arízaga, our impeccable local coordinator for the care and excellence of her professional work, and to Jackie Arízaga for teaming with her in fulfilling this essential role. We could have never reached the program’s goals without all these amazing partners in the field.

IU Southeast has been a solid pillar for our program. First of all, Gloria Murray, Dean of Education, deserves special recognition for her enthusiasm, active involvement and strong belief in our program. She took part in the second edition of the course and has reflected deeply with us through the entire journey. Her writings in the book we are sharing tonight confirm her scholarly
commitment as well as her effective leadership.

Amy Freyn brought a breath of fresh air to our teaching in Ecuador for three years, and also became an energetic research partner. Her tangible contribution to the analysis of the program’s impact must be recognized. She is no longer with us, but from Ecuador, she is sending her best wishes to all of us tonight.

Academic Affairs, the Center for Cultural Resources, the Ogle Cultural Center, Accounting Services, and Information Technology also deserve our deepest appreciation for their role in supporting so many of the program’s projects.

On our own behalf, and from that of the community of San Gerardo, we additionally express profound gratitude to Mikey Mendick for his generous commitment to the donation of computers for our Ecuador partners, and to UPS for their generous support transporting these computers and so many other donations for our Ecuador partners.

As I look back, I confirm a sense of collective accomplishment paired with strong partnerships. This has been a deeply collective journey where my merit as a program leader has probably been to ensure the continuity and expansion of the many layers of partnerships, which were designed to promote the growth of our students as intercultural leaders and global citizens. I feel privileged to have played this role in the experiences of so many, and humbled by the appreciation expressed by students and partners. I view this as a collective celebration.

Thank you again for sharing this special moment with us.

Magdalena Herdoíza-Estévez
Program Director

Leticia Altamirano's speech

Dear Dr. Sandra Patterson-Randles, Chancellor of Indiana University Southeast:

It is an honor to address this distinguished audience at such a meaningful celebratory event. I do it in representation of my school, the “Colegio Ecuadoriano-Espańol América Latina”, from Quito, Ecuador.

This frame I am presenting you tonight is handmade and it was especially designed for Indiana University Southeast. It is made from a combination of silver and aluminum; two metals that are flexible when they are hot.

Why am I telling you this?

It is because from my perspective, this Program, which is so well directed by Dr. Magdalena Herdoiza, expresses the fusion power of the collaborative work of ten years of Indiana University Southeast and the América Latina School.

The blending of our work has accomplished miracles in the lives of teachers and students from this University and also from teachers and students from América Latina School.

My life is one of these miracles; the flowers designed in this frame represent the blooming of my professional life as a result of working with Dr. Magdalena Herdoíza.

Then, as the welcome was concluding, the member of the community was thanking IUS for everything they had brought and done over the years. Then he said, but most of all “Thank you for recognizing that we exist.” Never has one sentence had a more profound impact on my life. It was a moment in which empowering others truly empowered me.

Through her and the IU
Southeast program, in one hand I have increased my knowledge of pedagogy and different strategies as a teacher and as the English Coordinator of my school; on the other hand, when –
with our América Latina students- I go with the University program to the community of San Gerardo, my soul grows and blooms as flowers in the mix of the various projects that are
developed there.

Please, accept this frame and picture as a symbolic way to say thank you Indiana University Southeast for every moment shared with your teachers and students.

The picture captures a
moment when students, community members, teachers, and support staff are working together as we have done for the past ten years of your Program in Ecuador.

We are hopeful for many more to come.

Leticia Altamirano

English Coordinator at América Latina K12

Dr Lucrecia Cuichan's in absentia speech

10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE “EXPLORATIONS ON DIVERSITY EDUCATION
PROGRAM ”

The communication and information society allows for the encounter of different cultures and countries, which also share commonalities. Indeed we share our desire to ensure that education meets the challenges of the new millennium, forming human beings as global citizens, leaders of change, competent, able to love and take care of this, our big home, called Earth.

In this context, Indiana University Southeast has developed visionary programs and today we are here together to celebrate ten years of success, of constant research, reflection and action.

Ten years go by quickly, but these past ten years have upheld a series of efforts, work, and love from those who have invested in finding creative ways for the University to contribute to improve lives and advance education.

Such achievement is the work of geniuses who embrace visions and dreams; from those who envision the highest possible goals for service, quality, and commitment to the most vulnerable of us. These are good reasons for a memorable celebration.

Through the Program, two peoples have come together sharing a common ideal, the
fulfillment of life, or sumak kawsay, and quality education for all. We have all agreed on
the importance of English language teaching and learning, as we recognize its standard use in the society of knowledge, information, and technology.

In seconds I have mentally reviewed the milestones of the IU Southeast summer program, which began working with Unidad Educativa Quitumbe in 2002 and with Bicentenario Millennium School in 2009, both Municipal schools.

These have been learning years with generous sharing of visions from one of the main leaders, Magdalena Herdoíza.

Our special recognition goes to her, to Gloria Murray, Dean
of Education, and to all the Program participants who -through the years- have taken part in meaningful transformations alongside their Ecuadorian colleagues.

I highlight the opportunity teachers, administrators, parents and –most of all – students have had to get
acquainted with new educational paradigms: methodologies, pedagogical processes, assessment, and innovative resources.

Each participant and those who have assisted the Program in the field are special to us and our country.

From this experience we have become better professionals and better human beings.

The program has allowed us to discover “the other” and by identifying similarities and differences among us, we have rediscovered “our own self, our essence” and we have also recognized our role as global citizens. This process has invited us to constantly think,
re-think, learn, unlearn, and re-learn and start again with more confidence; and we have
done this with you.

The Program has changed lives for the better; it has improved the quality of education, and has brought hope for a better and more human world. For this reason, we celebrate the first ten years of the Program; our first ten years of partnership, wishing for many more to come.

I present the warm congratulations from Dr. Augusto Barrera, Mayor of Metropolitan Quito, from Dr. Juan Samaniego, Secretary of Education, from Ms. Leticia Cordero, Director of Educational Inclusion, from students, parents and the community of Quito, and the beautiful and diverse Ecuador.

There is truth in popular sayings, so I will close by paraphrasing one of them: the greatest deeds are the dreams of mad geniuses; the born fighters build them; and happy “normal” people enjoy them.

Dr. Lucrecia Cuichán Cabezas MSc.
(In absentia)
Pedagogical Coordinator
Secretariat of Education
MUNICIPALITY OF METROPOLITAN QUITO

Victor Tamayo's public acknowledgement of Indiana University Southeast

Distinguished representatives of Indiana University, professors, students, and friends:

It is a privilege to represent my country, particularly our “"Ingeniero Bolívar Chiriboga
Baquero" school from Paquibug San Gerardo.

Covered by the “white poncho” of the colossal Chimborazo snow peak, this school and this community send their testimonial of profound gratitude for your contribution in opening the world of technology to our children.

This goal was achieved thanks to Dr. Gloria Murray, Dean of Education, to the IUS IT Department, and to the perseverance of our dear and distinguished friend and
colleague, Dr. Magdalena Herdoíza Estévez, Director of the Explorations on Diversity
Education Program.

Today, it seems like a dream to be surrounded by renowned educators from the United
States, by those who during a decade have shared their knowledge and pedagogical skills with us.

With love and devotion, they have instilled among our children the appreciation
of the English language, the love for art and music, promoting active learning.

The Computer Lab, the musical instruments, educational resources, and school supplies; as well as the materials donated to the Adult Education Center, the Childe-care Center, and the support of the women’s organization and micro-enterprise for the revival of traditional crafts such as the shigras, have helped children and families improve their
lives and their future.

How proud we are to see on the cover of the IU Southeast Annual Report the faces of
Kevin Medardo and Johnatan, showing their joy from your visit to share experiences with
us.

We thank the Lord and Indiana University. We hope that our Ecuadorian flag and that of
the United States will continue to wave with pride and friendship, as partners in the
search for progress and development.

Thank you for being our partners. Hail to Indiana University!

Víctor Tamayo

Education Supervisor
Province of Chimborazo, Ecuador

Alyssa Taylor's speech

Good evening everyone. It is my pleasure to be here tonight to honor this program and Dr. Estévez.

My name is Alyssa Taylor and I participated in the program in the summer of 2009.

My involvement began
slightly differently from other participants. I was not a student at Indiana University Southeast and was
not even an education major.

I was a student at IU Bloomington studying political science and psychology when I officially met Isabel, Dr. Estévez’s daughter.

She introduced me to sustainable development ideas and explained the connections that she already had with San Gerardo through her mother’s program. I was instantly intrigued and before long, together, we created a student group called the Indiana Ecuador Partnership for Sustainable Development. The group would fundraise and
come up with long-term sustainable development goals for San Gerardo and work in conjunction with Dr. Estévez’s program.

The group held a hygiene drive to collect money for essential hygiene items needed by the community that would be purchased in Ecuador. We also promoted the sale of hand-made crafts at fair trade prices.

In addition, we held a banquet dinner that highlighted our goals and all ticket proceeds went directly towards the community.

And at some point, amidst the whirlwind of activities that had quickly taken over a large part of my life, I had decided to go to Ecuador.

Long before I ever said it out loud, I knew that I would not fully grasp what I was working so hard for until I was standing in San Gerardo myself. I was right.

While my involvement originated from the project in San Gerardo, a much greater learning experience had presented itself to me.

By choosing to participate in Dr. Estévez’s program I would also get deep insight into the culture, history, and everyday life in Ecuador. All of this enriched my experience, but it
was still pulling up to the school house in San Gerardo that made a lasting impact.

The sight of children streaming out of their classrooms as our vans came down the road, is the picture I hold in my mind of exactly where my new perspective began. They greeted us excitedly, eyes gleaming with the anticipation of our visit. Yet, they knew only one thing about us, we were the students from
Indiana University, and we were with Dr. Estévez. 

But it was all they needed to know to adore us instantly. Their reactions solidified in my mind the impact that had already been made in their lives by this program, and now, I was a part of that.

One moment that stands out in my memory better than any other is our official welcome, lead by a member of the community.

We were all ushered into a small room, packed with as many people as could fit. I sat and listened as they spoke to us in kichwa, which was translated to Spanish, which was translated to English, and I was in awe by the diverse lives that had somehow ended up together in one room, for one purpose.

Ecuador shaped every decision I have made since. I was striving to learn more about foreign countries
and even more about the impact one person is capable of having. I interned with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C. and am now in law school at Indiana University-Indianapolis, with intentions of studying international law. The beginning of each of these decisions and experiences
will always be Ecuador. In a few weeks I saw first-hand what one person can do to impact so many lives.

I saw the significance and the extreme need for more people to take on this responsibility. It is a responsibility I carry with me everywhere I go.

It is empowering all over again to be here tonight and look around this room and remember I am one of many who carry this experience with them thanks to this program. Ecuador shaped every decision I have made since.

I was striving to learn more about foreign countries
and even more about the impact one person is capable of having. I interned with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C. and am now in law school at Indiana University-Indianapolis, with intentions of studying international law. The beginning of each of these decisions and experiences
will always be Ecuador.

In a few weeks I saw first-hand what one person can do to impact so many lives.
I saw the significance and the extreme need for more people to take on this responsibility. It is a responsibility I carry with me everywhere I go. It is empowering all over again to be here tonight and look around this room and remember I am one of many who carry this experience with them thanks to this program.

Thank you